


When People Need Help, I Never Refuse

by dragonwings948



Series: TARDIS Fam [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Loss, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-10-14
Packaged: 2019-08-02 02:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16296812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonwings948/pseuds/dragonwings948
Summary: The Doctor stays with Graham and Ryan after the loss of Grace and tries to help them in any way she can.





	When People Need Help, I Never Refuse

**Author's Note:**

> This whole fic evolved just from one scene towards the end. It was originally just going to be something short with Ryan and Thirteen, but it became a lot about Graham and Thirteen too! 
> 
> I'm still getting a feel for writing these characters, but I hope you enjoy this story!

            The car ride back was so silent that the Doctor could clearly hear every heartbeat: her own double pulses, and the single beats from each of her human friends.

            The Doctor glanced over at Yaz to see her blinking frequently and shaking her head. She looked in the rearview mirror where Graham’s chin had fallen against his chest. Only Ryan seemed alert and awake, gazing out the window with wide-open eyes.

            Even the Doctor felt a little fatigued. Her regeneration wasn’t fully complete yet, and she knew she still needed a bit of rest. Luckily, she had a place to stay.

           

            _“You can stay with us,” Graham said with an attempted smile._

_The Doctor noticed how Ryan’s frown grew deeper at the suggestion. “That’s all right, I really should be going, anyway—”_

_Graham’s eyes widened. “You have to stay for the funeral.” He sighed and looked down. “Grace would want you there. And she’d want you to stay with us too.”_

Yaz dropped them all off and reminded them that she was just a phone call away if they needed anything. Then she drove away, and Graham, Ryan, and the Doctor entered the house.

            Ryan immediately shut himself in his room without a word. Graham made tea and attempted small talk while the water boiled. When the tea was ready, he took some to Ryan’s door and knocked softly.

            No response.

            “I’ll just leave you some tea right outside the door,” he said, setting the mug down. “Don’t forget it’s there.”

            Still nothing.

            Graham turned around and sighed, shaking his head.

            “I’m worried about him,” he confided to the Doctor. “Grace was the most important person in his life.”

            “What about you?” the Doctor asked. She cradled her own mug of tea between her hands, letting it warm her fingers.

            Graham scoffed. “I’m nothing to him. I’ve tried to be there, but…” He shrugged. “He’s never seen me as his granddad.”

            “I think he’ll come around in time.” The Doctor smiled at him, and he offered her a small smile in return.

            Graham let her sleep on the sofa again and brought her a blanket and a pillow. The Doctor thanked him, and he went to his room.

            Then there was silence again.

            “I don’t like quiet,” the Doctor muttered to herself as she settled down on the sofa. Her eyelids suddenly felt like they weighed much more than they should. Her limbs were weary and tired. Was this what exhaustion felt like? She didn’t remember…

 

            The next day, the Doctor awoke to a wonderful aroma. Her stomach gurgled in response, and she realised that she hadn’t eaten since regenerating.

            She sat up and stretched out, her old clothes rubbing distastefully against her skin. She really needed to find something else to wear…

            The Doctor followed her nose to the kitchen, where she found Graham frying up some eggs. She grinned as she walked in. “Mornin’, Graham!”

            Graham turned his head quickly to look at her, as if surprised by her presence. “Morning,” he replied with an attempt at matching her cheerfulness. He turned back to the stove. “Breakfast is almost done.”

            “It smells great! No,” she said, thinking of a better word, _“wonderful!”_

            He brought her a plate and cleared a space for her at the dining room table.

            “Thank you!” the Doctor said as she began eating. Was it just her, or did everything taste so much better than it used to in her last body?

            The Doctor became distracted by Graham as he filled up another plate with the rest of the food and walked away with it. She heard a soft knock from the other side of the house.

            “I put breakfast outside the door, in case you’re hungry,” Graham said. He returned a moment later, empty-handed.

            “Nothing for you?” the Doctor noted.

            Graham shook his head and sat down next to her with a sigh. “I’m not hungry.”

            The Doctor could feel his sorrow like it was her own. There was a word for that, a far off word, a word she hadn’t used in a long time. Had she always felt other people’s emotions like this?

            “Is there anything I can do to help?” the Doctor asked.

            Graham opened his mouth to reply, then paused. “I have to leave for a bit today, to make…arrangements,” he said, not meeting her eyes. He swallowed. “If you could keep an eye on Ryan—”

            “Done,” she said.

            He gave her a weary smile. “Thank you.”

            After Graham left, the Doctor was left essentially on her own. She wandered around the house to explore, made a couple miniscule adjustments to her sonic screwdriver, and turned on the telly. Some sort of nature documentary was playing, and the Doctor watched with interest.

            However, it didn’t distract her for long. Her thoughts kept wandering back to Ryan and Graham, and Yaz too. They shouldn’t have had to go through this.

            Suddenly the Doctor heard Ryan’s voice from inside his room. It was muted through the door, and even with her sensitive hearing she could only pick out the tone of his voice.

            Curious, she shut off the telly and tiptoed towards Ryan’s door. As she got closer, his words became clear.

            “…and tomorrow, I’m going out there for you.”

            The Doctor crept closer, trying to hear more, but he seemed to have stopped. _Who was he talking to?_ she wondered. But she knew it wouldn’t be polite to intrude, so she decided to go back to the sofa and wait some more.

            She turned to walk away, and her foot scooted the plate of food in front of Ryan’s door just a bit so that it clinked against the mug of cold tea. The Doctor froze and stared at the door.

            She heard a sigh from inside. “Give it a rest, Graham, I’m _fine,”_ Ryan called.

            The Doctor cleared her throat. “Sorry, Ryan,” she said. “It’s just me.” She began to retreat, but to her surprise she heard footsteps coming closer and then the sound of Ryan’s door opening.

            “Sorry,” Ryan said as the Doctor spun back around to face him. “I forgot you were here.”

            “Who were you talking to?” she asked, unable to stop her curiosity from bursting forth.

            His eyes widened a little. “Oh. Er…it’s nothing.”

            “All right then…what did you mean by ‘going out there?’”

            He frowned and looked at the ground. “I’m going to try the bike again.” He met her gaze for a second before looking elsewhere. “Nan always believed I could do it.”

            “I’ll come with you,” the Doctor said.

            “No,” he said quickly. “I mean, it’s something I have to do by myself.”

            The Doctor nodded. “Right.”

            Ryan hesitated for a moment. The Doctor could tell he wanted to say more.

            “You…remind me of her,” he muttered.

            The Doctor smiled. She placed a hand on his arm, and Ryan looked up at her. “I don’t know who I am yet; everything is still so new. But I hope I am like her.”

 

            The next day, the Doctor stood far from Ryan, watching as he tried again and again to ride his bike. He didn’t give up. She could sense his frustration as if she were right next to him, but he kept going.

            She wished she could help. But who was she? A strange alien who had literally fallen into his life by chance and would be gone just as quickly.

            Then it hit her. She was going to miss him. She would miss all of them: Ryan, Graham, Yaz, and yes, Grace.

            But there was nothing for it. She had to find her TARDIS, unless she wanted to be stuck on Earth and working for UNIT again.

            _Time to be moving on,_ she thought to herself as she watched Ryan fall yet again.

            Her hearts ached. “Humans,” she murmured fondly, “you never give up, do you?”


End file.
